The MSI Wind U115 looks almost identical to the U100, which became the standard that many other netbook manufacturers borrowed and tweaked for their own designs.
Under the surface though, MSI has made changes to the processor and storage that make it a different portable computer.
The biggest difference is hybrid storage. The U115 has a 160GB hard disk for file storage and an 8GB SSD for its Windows XP installation. When the U115 isn’t plugged into the mains, the hard disk can be disabled to save power.
Asus also claims its 1000HE netbook uses hybrid storage, but in that case it’s an internal 160GB hard disk and 10GB of online backup storage.
No other netbook offers true hybrid storage, so this is a unique aspect of the U115. Although the SSD has decent read speeds, its writing speed is slower than premium SSDs so its main advantage is power saving rather than extra performance.
The processor is now an Intel Atom Z530 rather than an N270. This chip still runs at 1.6GHz, but at a lower voltage and therefore consumes less power and outputs less heat. The chipset is also different, being based on an Intel ‘Poulsbo’ chipset, with integrated GMA 500 graphics. Although this won’t improve the Wind’s gaming performance, it can assist with hardware decoding of some video formats.
Connectivity has improved from what was on offer in the original Wind. The U115 now supports 802.11n wireless, a feature some companies added to their rebadged Wind U100 models. The rest of the ports are unchanged from the U100, with three USB ports, VGA output, a four-in-one card reader, Gigabit Ethernet and audio. If you want to upgrade the memory, you can plug another Sodimm module into the memory slot.
The U115 also comes with a 5,200mAh six-cell battery as standard. Combined with all the other power-saving tweaks, this propels the U115’s battery life beyond what other netbooks can manage. In eco mode (with the hard disk turned off) we measured a whopping 12 hours during our reader test, and even with the hard disk turned on the U115 lasted for 10 hours 34 minutes. You could buy a nine-cell battery from a third party, although MSI doesn’t produce them.
Despite the amazing battery life, the U115 hasn’t impressed us as much as its predecessor did. The bland design, colour scheme and frustrating keyboard could all do with an overhaul, as there are plenty of other netbooks on the market that are more stylish and easier to type on than the Wind.
Placing the Fn key in the position normally occupied by Ctrl on standard Qwerty keyboards was universally criticised, but MSI has missed the opportunity to swap the keys around. OEMs that rebadged the MSI Wind U100 also managed to squeeze a few extra keys in, such as Home and End, but with the U115 you still need to invoke a combination of keys to access these.
Worst of all is the increased price. The extra hardware and larger battery add to the manufacturing cost, but with a retail price of £450, it’s hard to see the U115 flying off shelves, regardless how long its battery lasts. MSI has overlooked a key aspect of netbooks – a low price – and the U115 is now in the same price range as certain mid-range 17in entertainment laptops.
MSI hasn’t improved its netbook design in the same way Asus constantly evolves the Eee range. Overall, we found the U115 to be disappointing, although its battery life is superb and the SSD is an excellent addition.
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